Punjab’s contention on Ravi-Beas waters not correct: Khattar

The riparian principal in case of the RaviBeas waters does not apply and Punjab contention on this issue is not correct, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Saturday while speaking at the 27th meeting of Northern Zonal Council in New Delhi, which was presided over by the Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

The riparian principal in case of the RaviBeas waters does not apply and Punjab contention on this issue is not correct, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Saturday while speaking at the 27th meeting of Northern Zonal Council in New Delhi, which was presided over by the Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

Stating that Haryana had also sought an early hearing on the presidential reference on the validity of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act of 2004, which had been lying pending with the supreme court for about 10 years, Khattar said the surplus Ravi-Beas waters were distributed by the government of India between different states, as the waters of the these rivers came in for an exclusive use by India after signing of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan.

Therefore, the riparian principle of sharing of surplus waters of Ravi and Beas did not apply in this case and the contention of Punjab that these waters belonged to it only was not correct, the CM added.

He said Haryana was a water deficit state with respect to both surface and ground water resources. As against the annual demand of 36 million acre feet (MAF), the availability of water was only 14 MAF, he said and added that on one hand the state had to give, out of its own share in the Yamuna waters, extra water to Delhi in compliance of the apex court’s orders, on the other hand, Punjab was not delivering Haryana’s full share in the Ravi-Beas waters.

Punjab drew over 1,000 cusecs of water from the Nangal hydel channel for its Ropar thermal plant which should have been drawn through a link from the Anandpur Sahib hydel channel/ Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal allowing Haryana to carry more water for itself as well as also for Rajasthan.

Khattar said he would urge the Punjab chief minister to start the work on the link between Anandpur Sahib and the Ropar thermal plant, so that Haryana was able to carry its share of water as per the original project report of the SYL canal.Khattar also reiterated that the construction of the three dams namely Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar-Vyasi on the tributaries of the Yamuna be expedited.

CM SEEKS MSP FOR OTHER CROPSThe chief minister urged the Union government to declare minimum support price (MSP) for crops such as maize, pulses, cotton, guar etc in order to encourage farmers for crop diversification. Khattar said Haryana was in agreement on broad contours of an inter-state regional plan relating to integration of infrastructural services like roads, rail network, water supply, sewerage, drainage, besides other services between Chandigarh and other periphery towns.